Prospective Students
Programs for Middle and High School Students
Summer Leaders Seminar Program (SLS): DSE support of SLS entails six identical programs of instruction conducted over six days and two weeks. Each program will involve approximately 36 students. In general, the students are divided into two subsections, with each subsection participating in separate, and in some cases joint, blocks of instruction. Each of these blocks of instruction is described below.
- Systems Engineering Introduction (Joint Session). Students begin the day in the Department Conference Room where they will receive a welcome from the faculty and a general introduction to Systems Engineering.
- Systems Engineering Topics. Students will receive this block of instruction in the Systems Modeling Design Lab (SMDL). This block of instruction will use an example from the popular Facebook social networking application to teach the following lesson objectives:
- Define the word "system"
- Conduct a systems decomposition
- Understand the different types of models used in Systems Engineering
- Develop a mathematical model for the Facebook "News" feature
- Simulation Topics. Students will receive this block of instruction in the Combat Simulation Lab (CSL). This block of instruction will involve the students working with the Virtual Battlespace 2 simulation environment to learn the following lesson objectives:
- Understand the purposes of simulation
- Understand the different types of simulation used in Systems Engineering
- Construct a virtual simulation
- Use a virtual simulation to gather data
- Analyze data from a virtual simulation
- Robotic Systems Overview. This block of instruction will introduce students to the Lego Mindstorms robot environment. Students will break down into small groups (3-4 students per group) and be issued an assembled robot. Students will then learn the following lesson objectives:
- Develop a systems decomposition of the robot and its environment
- Develop a functional flow diagram detailing the robot's execution of a required task
- Convert the functional flow diagram to a computer program that guides the robot to complete the required task within a required operating environment in accordance with specified evaluation measures (e.g. speed, accuracy)
- Upload and test the robot's program e. Robo-Competition (Joint Session). In this block of instruction, students will participate in a competition that tests their robot's ability to complete a required task. This task will consist of navigating an obstacle course and arriving at a target "bulls-eye." Participants will be judged according to speed and accuracy.
Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Outreach: DSE support of STEM will entail three identical programs (one before lunch, two after lunch) of instruction conducted in the spring. Each program involves approximately 20 students. In general, the students will be divided into two subsections, with each subsection participating in identical blocks of instruction. Each of these blocks of instruction is described below: - System Modeling: In this session, students will first develop a definition of a system. This will include students brainstorming a list of familiar systems. Students will then use a 3D modeling package (Google SketchUp) to model a hypothetical "Wireless Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) controller" being considered by the Army. Specific learning objectives include:
- Define the word "system"
- Understand the different types of models used in Systems Engineering
- Develop a 3D model of a system
- Simulation and Model Testing: In this session, students will design a virtual simulation scenario using the Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) simulation environment. This simulation scenario will incorporate the "Wireless UAV Controller" developed in the System Modeling block of instruction. Students will then execute the simulation scenario and gather data about how the "Wireless UAV Controller" performed during a simulated mission. Specific lesson objectives include:
- Understand the purposes of simulation
- Understand the different types of simulation used in Systems Engineering
- Construct a virtual simulation
- Use a virtual simulation to gather data
- Analyze data from a virtual simulation
Thinking about becoming a Systems Engineering Major?
Department of Systems Engineering
Mahan Hall
West Point, NY 10996 |
All Systems GO! |
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